


That One Night

by shepherd_queen (pygmy_puff)



Series: Secrets and Emotions [1]
Category: 7th Heaven
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-07-18 21:43:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7331650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pygmy_puff/pseuds/shepherd_queen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruthie knew she always liked him, but one night changes everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally posted on a now-defunct message board between 2005 and 2006. I was given permission to re-post this story in 2013.
> 
> Alternately known as _Secrets and Emotions_.

Chapter One.  
  
When he came into my life, I didn’t know that it would come to this. Every moment I spend with him is like a little taste of Heaven. Yet, at the same time, I reinforce these urges with “he’s like my brother, I’m like his sister.” He’ll never feel the same way about me, right?  
  
_**BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!**_  
  
Ruthie slammed the snooze button on her alarm clock, not wanting to greet the day. Instead, she wanted to greet her eyelids again. However, that didn’t last for long.  
  
“Ruthie, get up! You’re going to be late! You want to see Vincent, don’t you?”  
  
This made her jump out of bed. Vincent, the reason for her living, the breath she took in every day, the…  
  
“Ruthie!” Martin’s voice shouted up the stairs once again. “Let’s go! If you don’t hurry up, I’m making you ride the bus with that nose-picking slob!”  
  
  _God, I love him when he’s in a hurry. Wait, what?! What is going on with me, I can’t believe this. First the dream last night and now this? Vincent, Ruthie, Vincent!_  
  
After she put on what seemed like twenty-five pounds of make up, picked out a skirt and shirt, put on her knee-high boots and taking one last look in the mirror, she ran downstairs and tripped in those boots.  
  
“Ow!” Ruthie cried. “Holy…”  
  
“Ruth, I thought I told you those things are dangerous! Lord, they make you a whole foot taller. I swear, the one thing I will never understand is how you girls are able to walk in those without breaking your neck.”  
  
“Well, apparently, I can’t walk in them. I just tripped.” Ruthie joked.  
  
Martin chuckled to himself.  
  
_Man, oh, man, does she look hot in those. Wait! What am I saying? She’s two years younger than me! She’s like my sister. It’s just a crazy thought. I’m half asleep, that’s all. That’s all, that has to be it. Zoe’s my girlfriend. I love her, don’t I?_  
  
As Martin lifted her up, Ruthie straightened her skirt and ran out the door. She came back in, however, for her lunch. Deep down, she knew she wouldn’t eat it anyways. But she had to at least take it with her.  
  
_This skirt is getting really tight. It’s only a size two! I can’t be getting bigger! No! All right, no lunch. That’s it, I’m drawing the line. Thankfully, no one has noticed yet._  
  
After making her way to the car, where Martin had started it up, she threw her stuff in the back and got in.  
  
“Seatbelt.” Martin ordered.  
  
After hearing that satisfying click, Martin shifted into reverse, carefully watching behind him for the mailbox. He was notorious for hitting it. How many times had he hit it? Well, it was easy to tell by all the scratches on the back corner. _I need to buff those._ He thought.  
  
Looking over at Ruthie, he suddenly realized she didn’t look too good.  
  
“Hey, Ruth?”  
  
“What? My seatbelt’s on. I’m not eating or drinking in the car, and my feet are on the floor of the car. What did I do now?”  
  
Martin shook his head.  
  
“Nothing. I was just going to ask if you’re feeling ok, you look a little pale.” He said to Ruthie with concern.  
  
_Crap, he noticed!_ Ruthie thought.  
  
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Ruthie snapped.  
  
Martin noticed her tone and how she avoided looking at him when saying that. But he didn’t mention it again; they were at school anyways. He knew if Ruthie went to homeroom mad, she would not have a good day. Martin knew all too well the consequences of that. He found a parking spot and shut off the engine.

* * *

Ruthie walked down the hallway, noticing all her friends staring at her. _Why are they looking at me? Do I really look that fat? I can’t be, I just can’t._  
  
After walking into homeroom, Alyssa, one of her best friends, yanked her into the seat beside her.  
  
“What’s up with you?” Alyssa asked with concern. “You aren’t ever happy anymore, your infamous grin that Vincent loved is gone. Come on! Smile once in a while! Your life can’t be _that_ bad.”  
  
_If only you knew, Alyssa._ Ruthie thought sadly.  
  
“Look, Alyssa, things aren’t just going really well right now. I’m just not in the mood and I haven’t been feeling well. So, please. Just let me figure some things out and I’ll bring my smile out of the closet.  
  
Alyssa quietly agreed, although she was still worried. Ruthie never acted this way. Did she do something, did Vincent do something?  
  
“You know,” Alyssa began, “you haven’t been acting like yourself ever since that party.”  
  
Fortunately for Ruthie, Alyssa was quickly hushed by their teacher, Mr. Kovack, walking in the room. The roll was taken and Ruthie went through her day in almost a trance.  
  
Finally, the end of the day rolled around. After Alyssa mentioned the party, Ruthie had been even worse. Her stomach didn’t feel right. However, she remembered she hadn’t eaten and decided that had to be why.  
  
“Ruthie!” Martin yelled, bringing Ruthie out of her thoughts. “Hey, you ready? I’ve got to get you home. Zoe and I are heading over to the Promenade, so I want time to get my car washed.”  
  
“Yeah, ok.” Ruthie asked without any emotion. Martin was really becoming worried about her. He loved Ruthie, and to see her hurt for whatever reason made him want to just hold her, kiss her…  
  
_Why am I doing this_? Martin thought. All those feelings were rushing through his head and he couldn’t figure them out.  
  
“Martin! You’re the one that said you wanted to drop me off as soon as you could! I don’t have a legal permit yet! I’m not driving home, so let’s go!”  
  
Martin was brought out of his trance as Ruthie yelled at him. _Why is she so temperamental? Something’s wrong with her._  
  
Martin started the engine, now ready to leave. When he looked at Ruthie, he noticed it again: she was looking pale. He found some peanuts in the glove compartment and offered them to Ruthie.  
  
“Hey, are you hungry? I have these if you want them.”  
  
Suddenly, Ruthie appeared as though she was going to throw up. Martin quickly pulled over and as soon as she got out, she spilled her guts on the side of the road.  
  
Martin, now seriously concerned, was all over Ruthie with questions when he had continued down the suburban street.  
  
“Are you feeling ok? How long have you been throwing up? Maybe you should stay home tomorrow. I’ll just let your mom know. I’m sure she’d let you stay home if you were feeling as bad as you apparently do. Wait, why are you hiding it? You’re usually the one that fakes sick to get out of school. Why would you fake being healthy?”  
  
“Martin, please, just leave me alone. I’m fine and I’m going to school. I don’t like peanuts, you know that.”  
  
By this time, they were in the driveway.  
  
“So seeing them makes you throw up? Ruthie, you’re not making any sense! Please, just let me know that you’re okay. I hate it when you’re not feeling well.”

 _Aww, that’s so sweet! God, he’s hot when he’s concerned. Wait! Stop thinking like this, Ruthie! Stop, stop, stop!_  
  
“I’m fine, really.” She entered the kitchen through the back door and ran to her room, leaving Martin to deal with her things left behind in the car.  
  
_I have to be fine, I just have to be._ Ruthie told herself as she cried.

* * *

“Ruthie! Ruthie, please open the door! Something’s up and I know it! Open the door, Ruth!” Martin yelled.  
  
Ruthie sat in her room, listening to Martin bang on her door while she sat against it and wept. She knew something may very well be _up_ , but she wasn’t ready to admit it to herself, let alone anyone else.  
  
After Ruthie had somewhat maintained her composure, she noticed Martin had stopped knocking. She quietly opened the door and couldn’t see him. She headed to the restroom, suddenly feeling sick again.  
  
Unknown to Ruthie, Martin was standing behind the door, hiding from Ruthie. Martin watched as she run for the door, not bothering to shut it. After she went in the bathroom, Martin walked into her room to search for any clues.  
  
He found a note lying on her dresser. Martin wasn’t one to snoop, but his curiosity got the better of him. He heard the voices in his head not to do it, but he did anyways.  
  
_If it tells me what’s wrong with Ruthie, then I have to read it. I think something’s really wrong with her._  
  
After winning the argument with the voices in his head, he began to open the note. However, Ruthie appeared and quickly snatched the note from him.  
  
“Who said you could snoop in here? I’m fine, really! I don’t need you to act like my father, because you’re not.”  
  
“Well, I’m like your brother, so I suggest you tell me what’s wrong with you. It wasn’t the peanuts, was it? Why are you feeling so bad? Why won’t you tell me?! I wouldn’t be this concerned if you just told me.”  
  
_Believe me, Martin, I want to. But I have to see if it’s true first_.  
  
“Look, I’m fine. Please, just leave me alone. I need some time to think.”  
  
Martin, with much reluctance, left the room and shut the door behind him. Ruthie knew what was wrong. She’d been suspecting it for a while. Ever since the party, she’d heard that woman’s intuition screaming in her phone.  
  
Suddenly, the phone rang, making Ruthie jump.  
  
“Ruthie!” Annie yelled, she must have just gotten home from picking up David and Sam.  
  
_Great, now they’ll bombard me with questions!_ Ruthie thought.  
  
“Ruthie, Vincent’s on the phone! He wants to talk to you!”  
  
Ruthie hurried to her bed and retrieved the phone. Vincent was the only good thing going on in her life right now.  
  
“Hello? Vincent?”  
  
“Ruthie, hey. Look, we need to talk.”  
  
Ruthie felt a sinking feeling in her stomach and knew what was going to happen. She suddenly couldn’t breathe and felt sick again, this time for a different reason.  
  
“Look, Ruthie, I like you a lot. But lately, I’ve been hearing some things.”  
  
“What kind of things?” Ruthie asked, frustrated.  
  
“Well, that party you went to. You know, the one I couldn’t go with you to? Well, I heard you hooked up with somebody else. Is that true?”  
  
Ruthie instantly felt hot tears welling up in her eyes and soon they were running down her cheeks.  
  
“Which party. Wait, don’t answer that. But I need you to know something, Vincent, I- I’m- I might be…”  
  
“Oh, my God, Ruthie! How could you do this? I trusted you with everything! I mean, I thought I loved you! How the heck can you do this to me? You’re going to throw it away on some random guy? Ruthie, it’s over. It’s over, I can’t trust you anymore!”  
  
“Vincent, no!” Ruthie cried, but was met with a dial tone on the other end. She hung up and instantly began bawling. She couldn’t catch a breath and her body wracked with huge sobs that she couldn’t contain.  
  
“Vincent,” she said to herself, “you were the only good thing going on in my life right now. If only you knew…”

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Ruthie lay in her room, quietly praying and crying herself to sleep. Ruthie never took naps, but the stress of everything going on in her life was taking its toll.  
  
After an hour long nap, Ruthie didn’t feel well at all. She changed into something more comfortable and laid back down in bed, hoping to get some more sleep. However, dreams of Martin kept coming back to her head. She saw themselves getting married, having kids, growing old together. Yet, she also had nightmares.  
  
Nightmares of that night at the party, nightmares of Vincent and voices in her head that scared her. After a while, she decided to give up on sleeping and kept herself awake by trying to read a book.  
  
“Ruthie!” Annie yelled up the stairs. “Ruthie, honey, dinner’s ready! Could you grab the twins for me, please?”  
  
“Ugh…” Ruthie groaned, rolling over in bed and hiding her face in the pillow. A few minutes later, Annie walked up to find her.  
  
“Ruthie, I said dinner was ready. I made your favorite! Chicken pot pie!”  
  
Annie became concerned when mentioning Ruthie’s favorite food in the world did not cause her to stir.  
  
“Ruth, hun, are you feeling okay?”  
  
Annie forced her to roll over and seeing Ruthie’s face scared her. The teenager was extremely pale, her lips almost white, and Annie noticed how much thinner she looked.  
  
“Ruthie, are you feeling okay? Should I take you to the doctor?”  
  
This somewhat perked Ruthie up.  
  
“No! I don’t need to go to the doctor! Please don’t take me there! I’m fine, really. I just ate too much at lunch.”  
  
“She didn’t eat anything today, Mrs. Camden. I saw her. When she walked into the lunchroom, she threw her bag in the trash. Then she ran to the restroom. She probably vomited in there, because she did that twice after school” Martin had suddenly appeared in the doorway and his testimony suddenly made Ruthie nervous. She didn’t want anyone to know what was wrong, and she was scared herself. She was fine, though, wasn’t she?  
  
“Why do you always appear out of nowhere at the most inopportune times? You’re like… a… ghost.” With that, Ruthie suddenly passed out. Annie shook her violently, desperately trying to wake her up.  
  
Martin, still standing in the doorway, ran to Ruthie.  
  
“Ruthie, babe, wake up! Please, wake up!”  
  
Annie topped for a brief moment, noticing the pet name Martin had used for her daughter. Martin, quickly realizing what he’d just done, ran downstairs to look for Eric.  
  
Martin, now close to tears, found Eric in his study.  
  
“Eric, Ruthie just passed out! She hasn’t been feeling too well and she just passed out in her room. Annie’s trying to wake her up.”  
  
“I’ll call an ambulance.” Eric said with no emotion.  
  
_What’s wrong with Ruthie? Good Lord, please let her be okay. Please heal my baby girl._  
  
Martin ran upstairs, where Annie was checking for a heartbeat.  
  
“She’s still got a strong heartbeat and pulse! I don’t know what’s wrong with her!” Annie told him.  
  
“Well, she’s been really stressed about something lately. Maybe it just took its toll on her. I’m sure she’s fine, Annie. She has to be.”  
  
“Yeah, she’ll be okay. Is Eric calling an ambulance?” Annie’s question was answered by the sound of sirens in the distance.  
  
“She’ll be fine, she’ll be okay.” Martin said, trying to comfort Annie. But he was also saying it to reassure himself.  
  
Martin began to pray under his breath.  
  
_Dear Lord, please don’t take the love of my life away. I love her with all my heart and I didn’t realize it until just now. Please don’t take my baby away. Please, just keep her here so that I can let her know how I feel. Please awaken her._

* * *

Ruthie was finally awakened in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. After a thorough investigation, the EMTs concluded that she hadn’t eaten in days. But that wasn’t the only thing wrong.  
  
“Mr. and Mrs. Camden?” Dr. Brooks, Ruthie’s doctor, came out; ready to deliver news.  
  
The entire family was there; including Mary and Matt, and their families. The eldest two Camdens were in town with their spouses as a surprise for the family, but they didn’t expect _this_ would be the surprise.  
  
Annie and Eric quickly stood up, along with Martin.  
  
“Yes, Doctor? Is my baby girl okay?” Annie asked with a quavering voice  
  
“She’s going to be just fine, she’s extremely malnourished. I asked her when she last ate, and she said a week ago.”  
  
Annie sank into the chair behind her. _Why hasn’t she eaten? What’s wrong with her?_  
  
Eric, now confused, asked “So, she hasn’t eaten in a week and she’s been hiding this from us? Why?”  
  
“Reverend Camden, that’s not the only thing wrong with Ruthie. It isn’t life-threatening, but I imagine that she’ll want to be the one to tell you.”  
  
“Can we see her?” Lucy asked.  
  
“Yes, just be sure to watch out for the IVs and tubes. We’re trying to get something in her. She has nothing, really, to go on food-wise.”  
  
Martin rushed ahead of the rest of the family, thinking to himself as he went along.  
  
_What could be wrong with her? She has an eating disorder and, yet, something else is going on?_  
  
When the family entered Ruthie’s room, they were surprised to see how bad she actually looked. She was extremely thin, yet her stomach had a bit of a bulge to it. She looked like a science experiment, with cords running every which way.  
  
Ruthie’s eyes fluttered opened and she saw her parents standing over her. Knowing what she’d have to say, she began to cry. She loved them, and even though it wasn’t her fault, she couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty and felt her parents would be disappointed with her.  
  
After her parents gave her looks of love and tears of joy, happy just to see Ruthie’s face again, the next person Ruthie saw was Martin. She’d never seen him this scared.  
  
He whispered in her ear, telling her that he loved her and no matter what, he’d help her through whatever was going on. Ruthie then began to cry for a different reason. She tried to say “I love you too,” but was too exhausted to even think about forming the words.  
  
So, using all the strength she had, she form her hand into “I love you”—where you stick your pinky, pointer fingers and thumb out—and after showing Martin this, she formed the number two with her hand.  
  
Martin knew that she was desperately trying to say “I love you too”. To show her he understood, he lightly brushed her cheek with his lips. Then realizing the rest of the family was witnessing this, he quickly turned around to see smiles on everyone’s faces.  
  
Eric brought him over to the corner, as Lucy went to see Ruthie, and spoke to him.  
  
“I couldn’t have picked a better man for my daughter. Just don’t break her heart.”  
  
Martin, feeling happier than ever, quickly responded with “believe me, if I were to break her heart, it would break mine until I stopped living. I love her with all my heart, Reverend Camden. I really do.”  
  
“I know you do, Martin. I thank God that you came into our lives every day, because you’ve shown and taught us all so much. I’m glad you’re finally together.”  
  
“Yeah, me too.” Martin smiled, and then frowned. “Wait, did you just say ‘finally’?”  
  
Eric lightly chuckled and patted Martin on the shoulder.  
  
Annie came up to Ruthie’s bed and lightly kissed her forehead.  
  
“We’ll come back tomorrow. Maybe by then, you’ll be a bit stronger and you can tell us what’s bothering you. Okay, honey?”  
  
Ruthie nodded slightly, knowing that what she’d have to say would kill her parents. Nonetheless, she knew she had to tell them. It wasn’t something she would be able to hide.  
  
The Camden family and Martin left the room, leaving Ruthie alone with the sound of beeping monitors and carts going by outside. So many things were running through her head. How she’d tell her parents, when to tell them, where to start. Yet, she knew it would be one of the hardest things she’d ever have to do.

* * *

Ruthie lay in her room, wondering why this was happening to her. She’d always been a good kid. She’d never done anything to harm someone like she’d been harmed. Why her? _Why, God? Why me?_  
  
Back at the parsonage, everyone was piling out of three cars. Martin had driven Matt and Sarah home in his car, and on the way, they’d given him exciting news. They were expecting, but were going to tell the family later.  
  
After Martin entered the house, Annie and Eric called him to the kitchen, where many discussions concerning just about everything took place in the past.  
  
“Martin,” Eric began. “We know that you won’t break Ruthie’s heart. But if you two are going to date, there have to be some ground rules.”  
  
_Great, in this family, that basically means I’m screwed._  
  
“Martin, we want you to know that we trust you, so we’re going to be a little less obsessive than some other guys that have dated our daughters. Wait a minute, isn’t Ruthie still dating Vincent? Aren’t you with Zoe?”  
  
“I broke up with Zoe yesterday.”  
  
Martin’s heart sank upon realizing the first question Annie had asked him: what about Vincent? Was Ruthie still dating him? He had broken up with Zoe yesterday because he wanted to tell Ruthie how he felt about her, but never thought about the guy she was presently dating. Was she just drugged up and told him that she loved him? What if she didn’t mean it the same way he did?  
  
Martin shook his head, trying to get rid of the unsettling thoughts.  
  
“When are we eating?”  
  
“Well, maybe around 7? I’m not really sure. I don’t even know what we’re going to eat! We have food, but I didn’t know the others would be in town!”  
  
Martin looked down at his watch; it was six o’clock on the nose. That gave him an hour to talk to Ruthie. He grabbed his keys and ran outside to the car. Martin was in such a hurry, he even forgot to buckle in.  
  
When Martin found Ruthie, she looked better and was more awake. She was talking to a nurse when he walked in. This surprised Martin, because the last time he saw her, she couldn’t speak at all.  
  
After the nurse left, Ruthie gave Martin a warning glare.  
  
“Martin, do _not_ tell anyone I can talk.”  
  
“Ruthie, you’re famous for your mouth. Why wouldn’t you want to talk?”  
  
“So I don’t have to tell them what’s wrong with me. I’m just not ready. When I’m ready to talk, I’ll talk.”  
  
Martin nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets.  
  
“Ruthie, do you still go out with Vincent?”  
  
“No, we went through a bad breakup. I really don’t want to talk about it, okay?”  
  
“So, do you still have feelings for him?”  
  
“No, I love you, Martin. Wait, what about Zoe?”  
  
“We broke up yesterday.”  
  
“I see. Come here.”  
  
Martin walked over to Ruthie, where she pulled him down, arms around his neck, and kissed him. Suddenly, Ruthie pushed Martin away and shook her head.  
  
“I’m sorry, I just can’t. It brings back a lot of stuff.”  
  
“What kind of stuff?”  
  
“Look, you can’t tell anyone about this, but seeing as how you want to date me, you need to know.”  
  
“Okay.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Oh, my God! How could this happen to you? Babe, who was it?” Martin asked.  
  
Ruthie had just taken half an hour to describe to Martin exactly what was wrong with her, why something was wrong with her, and what had happened, minute by minute.  
  
“I don’t know. I don’t even know who did this to me. It sucks because I can’t tell him, can’t yell at him, and I can’t curse him for doing this to me. I just want to make it all go away and I can’t. I just can’t.” Ruthie now had tears rolling down her cheeks.  
  
Martin, now holding her head in his arms, was crying right along with her.  
  
“Ruth, how are you going to tell your parents? Do you want me to tell them? God, I can’t even imagine how you’re feeling right now.”  
  
Ruthie suddenly became nervous as she realized something.  
  
“You’re not going to dump me already, are you?”  
  
Martin was completely surprised by this.  
  
“No, baby, the last thing I could do is leave you right now. I told you earlier, that whatever you go through, I’ll be right by your side no matter what. Ruth, I love you and nothing is going to change that, okay? I love you.”  
  
Ruthie settled back in his arms.  
  
“I love you too. Please, just don’t tell anybody about any of this, okay? I just can’t take it right now. I’m freaking out beyond belief, I don’t know anything about this and I’m nervous. I just, I don’t even want to think about it.”  
  
Martin kissed her hair and sat in her bed, cuddling her. They sat like this for a while until Martin noticed the clock on the wall; it read 7:30. _Guess I missed dinner_ , he thought.  
  
“Wait a minute,” Martin said. “Weren’t you starving yourself?”  
  
“Yeah, so?”  
  
“Ruthie, that’s dangerous! Even more so with this now added to it all. Why? If you suspected this, why weren’t you eating?”  
  
“I was hoping that it was just me eating too much. Then I went into denial and it went to hell from there. That’s why I’m here. I’m sorry; I really didn’t mean to scare you. I scared myself more than you.”  
  
“Did you really pass out? Or was that just to get your mother off your case?”  
  
“I really did, do you really think that in my condition I would want to come to the hospital? I’m just glad Dr. Brooks didn’t tell them. I want them to find out from me, eventually.”  
  
_Which may be never._  
  
Martin got up and grabbed his coat.  
  
“Look, I have to go, but I’ll be back tomorrow, okay? Please, just be careful and don’t cry. It kills me watching you cry.”  
  
Ruthie briefly smiled.  
  
“Okay, I love you.”  
  
“Love you too, babe.”  
  
Ruthie felt a shiver going up her spine hearing Martin talk to her like that. Suddenly, she felt sick again.  
  
“Martin…”  
  
Ruthie couldn’t finish and ran to the toilet. Martin rushed to her side and held her hair back. Once she finished throwing up, Ruthie began bawling.  
  
“I hate this! I hate this! I hate it all! Make it all go away, Martin! Please!”  
  
“I can’t, Ruth. I just can’t.” Martin spoke softly, rubbing Ruthie’s back.

* * *

Martin walked through the front door of the Camden residence and heard everyone talking in the kitchen. He threw his keys on the table and slowly walked towards the kitchen. As he passed a mirror, he noticed how awful he looked. He quickly dashed to the bathroom, to wash away the stains of tears, although he knew there would be many more to come.  
  
“Martin! Is that you? We were…” Annie suddenly stopped when she saw Martin’s tear-stained face.  
  
“Martin? Did you talk to Ruthie?”  
  
“Yeah, I did.  Believe me; she’ll want to talk to everyone. Could we just go now?”  
  
“Is she hurt?”  
  
“You could say that. She’s more hurt emotionally than anything, though.”  
  
Annie quickly rounded up the family and gathered everyone in different cars. Matt and Sarah were again in Martin’s car, discussing their pregnancy, something they still hadn’t told anyone about.  
  
“Look, you guys, I’m really happy for you. But, please, just don’t talk about pregnancy right now. You’ll understand when we get there.”  
  
“Wait, Martin,” Matt began. “Is Ruthie preg- pr- pregnant?”  
  
“Matt, I said wait until we get there, okay? She wants to tell everyone.”  
  
Matt sat back in his seat and exchanged glances with Sarah. Martin noticed this and replied with, “it’s not what you think, believe me.”  
  
Ruthie was surprised to see her family walk through her door and take seats around her. When Martin came in, she looked at him.  
  
“You told them?” She mouthed.  
  
“They need to know. The sooner the better, Ruth.” He mouthed back.  
  
“Ruthie, honey, what’s going on? We’re all really scared now. Please, just tell us. Don’t try and act like you can’t talk, because something tells me you can.” Annie said.  
  
Ruthie looked up at her mother and saw fear in her eyes, which she rarely saw.  
  
“Look, this is going to be really hard for me to tell you all. So, please, just let me finish before you yell, all right?”  
  
Everyone was silent and Ruthie took this to mean they would let her tell the whole story.  
  
“When I went to that party last month, I just went with Alyssa. Vincent couldn’t go and Zac couldn’t go with Alyssa, so Alyssa and I went together.  Martin was there to chaperone and watch us. I’d gone upstairs because the only thing to drink was beer. I found some water bottles that hadn’t been opened or tampered with, so I got one out and chugged it.”  
  
Ruthie was beginning to cry at this point.  
  
“I needed to use the restroom because of the water, and I found an empty bedroom with a bathroom attached. So, I went to use the restroom. I had left the lights in the bedroom on and when I came out of the bathroom, the lights were off. I could see someone standing in front of me and I screamed, but he covered my mouth. That’s when it all started.”  
  
Ruthie looked up from her hands for the first time and saw every one of her family member crying. They knew what was coming, but Ruthie went ahead with it anyways. She knew she had to get it off her shoulders and, besides, they didn’t know the entire story. _Yet_.  
  
“So, he told me to stop screaming and threw me on the bed. He started hitting me and cursing at me.”  
  
Ruthie was having trouble now as she talked in between heaving sobs.  
  
“He wouldn’t stop and he said what he was doing would be wonderful for me. He raped me and, after what seemed like an hour, he finally got off and just left. I just lay there, crying my eyes out. I couldn’t breathe or move and I felt like the life had been sucked out of me. I don’t even know who it was.”  
  
“Oh, baby.” Annie said, beginning to walk towards Ruthie.  
  
“Don’t say baby! Don’t say baby ever again! I’m pregnant with my rapist’s child! Do you know what the hell that feels like? It’s killing me! I just want it to go away and it won’t! I’m going to have somebody’s child and I don’t even know who the father is! I can’t think straight, I can’t breathe. Every time I think about it, I get sick! So stop saying baby!” Ruthie yelled.  
  
The entire family was shocked by Ruthie’s outburst, including Martin. Ruthie lay in bed, red-faced and crying. Her face was tear-stained, with fresh tears running down even further. Her eyes were red and puffy and her nose was running.  
  
“I’m pregnant and I didn’t even want it to happen. I don’t know who raped me, but I’m scared. I’m scared that if I have this baby, that it will only remind me of being raped. I don’t know what to do. But I am going to have this baby. You can’t stop me because I will become a mother. Even though I’ll be sixteen, I’m still keeping my baby, regardless of whose it is.”

* * *

The Camden family was still sitting in Ruthie’s room. The tears had stopped but they were still hurt. Hurt because Ruthie had been hurt, hurt because they couldn’t have done anything about it. However, it was mainly because she would have many tough days ahead of her and go through labor before she had a driver’s license.

  
“I’m guessing Ruthie told you the news.” Dr. Brooks came in, breaking the silence in the room.  
  
Ruthie nodded her head in response.  
  
“I’d like to speak with all of you about this. Seeing as you’re all here anyways, I’ll start talking. As I told you, Ruthie was starving herself. Now, she has told me that she was hoping that she was just gaining weight instead of carrying a baby. She was in denial but knew all along. It is common that after such a traumatic ordeal like the one she’s gone through, she’ll try to harm herself. However, Ruthie wasn’t harming only herself, she may have harmed her child.”  
  
“Is the baby okay? Will Ruthie be okay?” Lucy asked with concern.  
  
“Ruthie will be just fine. Ruthie may have starved herself for six days, but she stayed hydrated.. Being that she’s left out only meals for a week gives her a pretty good chance of keeping the baby. I don’t think you have anything to worry about, so plan on having a grandchild in the next year.”  
  
Annie smiled. She loved her grandchildren, her children, and her husband. Now her family was growing even larger, maybe even bringing in a new husband. Annie quickly looked at Martin, who was sitting beside Ruthie, stroking her hair and whispering in her ear, causing Ruthie to smile. Annie smiled to herself, knowing that Ruthie had found the one that she’d be able to trust and love forever.  
  
“Uh, since we’re on a bit of a gloomy note here, I’ll attempt to lighten it.” Matt said, grinning.  
  
“Well…” Eric inquired.  
  
“Dad, Sarah and I are pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.” Matt said, now grinning from ear to ear.  
  
“That’s great! Wow! When are you due?” Eric asked, now in a much better mood.  
  
“Well, we’re two months along, so the baby’s due in November. Ruthie, when are you due?” Sarah asked.  
  
“I’m due in December. I’m a month along. Our kids are almost going to have the same birthday!” Ruthie said.  
  
The entire family was now talking and congratulating Matt and Sarah. But Martin was just staring at Ruthie, mouthing “I love you,” and looking at her with love Ruthie had never known before. She smiled and looked at her family.  
  
“You’re going to be born into a great family.” Ruthie said, now looking at her stomach.  
  
“One day, you just might have a great dad, too.” Ruthie, now looking at Martin and realizing she found all she’d ever wanted and all she ever needed, smiled.  
  
“You’re coming into a great life. I’ll make sure of it.”


	4. Chapter 4

It had been two days since Matt and Sarah announced their pregnancy and the Camden family was finally home. Ruthie had been asked to stay in bed for a while because her body was still weak and she wasn’t strong enough to move around a lot.  
  
Ruthie had piles of magazines, many including articles about pregnancy. She had _What to Expect When You’re Expecting_ by her bedside as well. She watched “A Baby Story” on TLC and began to make a list of what she’d need when the baby came along.  
  
Ruthie had to admit; she was having fun doing all of this. She loved thinking about where to put the baby and what she would buy. She began to think about baby names. If it was a girl, she loved Mandy Katherine. For a boy, she thought about naming it Matthew, but couldn’t decide between Matthew Alexander and Matthew John. As a matter of fact, she was hoping for a girl because she was having a hard time with boy names.  
  
Martin walked into her room the next morning and saw her sleeping. He was carrying a tray with lots of food and stopped when he saw Ruthie lying on her bed, with books in her hand and her television still on.  
  
Martin smiled and set the tray on her bedside table. He kissed her forehead, which caused her to awaken.  
  
“Morning, sunshine. You fell asleep with a book in your hand and everything.”  
  
Ruthie began to stretch.  
  
“Yeah, that kind of happens when you’re pregnant. How long did I sleep?”  
  
“I don’t know. You’re so gorgeous in the morning.”  
  
“Haha, nice try, Mr. Smooth. I have a bedhead, a bulge for a stomach, and I have no makeup on.”  
  
“Believe me, baby, you look better without your makeup. A bit doesn’t hurt, but don’t overdo it. It just makes you look made-up.”  
  
“Are you saying that I look fake with makeup? Are you making fun of the way I look?” Ruthie asked in a sarcastic tone.  
  
Martin laughed and leaned in to kiss her. They’d been making out for quite some time when Ruthie pulled away and said, “You know, I have just-woken-up breath. I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet. So, you’re kissing me, why exactly?”  
  
Martin smiled at her and said, “Simply because I love you and want you to be the girl I kiss for the rest of my life, so I better get used to this. There will be times when I wake up and kiss you, and you won’t have brushed your teeth. Might as well get used to it now.”  
  
“You’ve thought about a future for us? What do you see?”  
  
Martin now had a faraway look in his eyes.  
  
“Well, we’ll get married and everyone will be there. Then we’ll move to a small town, where we can raise the kids and let them grow up without worry of the big city. We’ll move into a large house. You’ll work from the house and I’ll go out and work, coming back at the end of the day. We’ll go out for walks around the town and stop by the local ice cream place every now and then, spoiling our kids. We won’t move too far from here, though, so that we can visit your parents if we have to. We’ll have lots of children and raise them until college. We’ll grow old together, we’ll watch our grandchildren, and then our great-grandchildren, all grow up. We’ll both die old and meet again in heaven. So, yeah, I’ve planned this out since the day I met you, which is the day I fell in love with you. I just didn’t know it.”  
  
Ruthie smiled and pulled Martin towards her, kissing him with all the love she felt for him. After pulling away, she smiled again.  
  
“I love you and I want the exact same thing. So, if we’re getting married, how are you going to propose?”  
  
Martin looked at her, with a confused face.  
  
“Who said I was proposing?”  
  
He laughed as Ruthie’s face went from dreamy to confused.  
  
“I’m not going to tell you, I want it to be a surprise.”  
  
Ruthie rolled her eyes.  
  
“Fine.” She then looked over at the breakfast tray that Martin had brought up. She noticed a vase, containing a peach rose.  
  
“Aw, babe, you got me a peach rose? How’d you know that’s my favorite?”  
  
Martin acted like he was cracking his knuckles.  
  
“Well, let’s just say there aren’t any secrets in this household.”  
  
_There is one pretty big secret in this household._ Ruthie thought.  
  
Ruthie covered up her thoughts with a laugh, and she and Martin kissed again. By the time Ruthie was ready to eat, her breakfast had to be reheated.

* * *

Ruthie had spent almost an hour in the bathroom, spilling her guts and anything left inside her. Lucy had heard her in the bathroom, and was now holding her hair back and stroking it.  
  
“I’m going to kill whoever decided to call this morning sickness. It lasted the whole- the-“  
  
Ruthie ducked her head back into the toilet as Lucy gave her some words of kindness.  
  
“Ruth, when I was pregnant with Savannah, I felt awful too. Soon, though, you’ll feel better. Well, you won’t feel sick anymore, but you’ll feel fat.”  
  
“Anything would be better than this. I’m going to kill whoever did this to me. I want to know, but I can’t.”  
  
“You know, Ruthie, you can go to the doctor’s and ask if they can do some sort of test. Maybe then, you’ll know who the father is.”  
  
_Truth is, Luce… I know who the father is._ Ruthie thought.  
  
Later that day, Ruthie was walking around the Promenade with Martin, holding his hand and telling stories. Ruthie never felt sick when she was with Martin. She always felt like she had been completed. She didn’t think about being pregnant until Martin would place his hand on her belly.  
  
“Martin, I think I know who the father is. I’m not sure, but his voice sounded so familiar.”  
  
“Ruthie, why didn’t you tell me? Who do you think it is?”  
  
_Okay, Ruthie, you can tell him. They’re just three little words._  
  
Right as Ruthie was going to tell Martin, Mac spotted them and walked over.  
  
“Hey, Martin. Ruthie, are you…?”  
  
“Yes, I’m pregnant. I’m not fat, just pregnant.”  
  
“Dude, is it yours?” Mac asked Martin.  
  
Ruthie quickly looked at Martin and the look on his face was quite an odd one.  
  
“What? No! God, don’t you think I’d be dead by now if it was mine? No! Some guy raped her a couple months ago and now she’s pregnant with his child.”  
  
“She’s pregnant with… rape… his… I have to go.”  
  
“Dude, what’s wrong?”  
  
“I really have to go. Good luck, Ruthie. Martin, I’ll see you later… maybe.”  
  
Martin was confused by Mac’s behavior at the Promenade, but Ruthie knew what was going on. She knew whose it was and was scared of telling Martin, scared of what his reaction would be. Ruthie knew that she had to tell someone, so she went to the most caring person she knew.  
  
“Lucy, can we talk?” Ruthie asked that night.  
  
“Sure, what’s wrong?”  
  
“I know who the father is.”  
  
“Did you go to the doctor? How do you know?”  
  
“No, I didn’t go to the doctor. I just know. Women’s intuition, I guess. Do you have that?”  
  
“Ruthie, all women have that. Some just don’t use it very well.”  
  
Mary entered the room and, upon hearing this, she threw a pillow at Ruthie.  
  
“What are you talking about? I have women’s intuition; I just prefer not to use it. So what’s up?”  
  
“Ruthie knows who the father is.”  
  
“Oh, my God, Ruthie. Who is it?”  
  
Ruthie took a deep breath and looked up, but began to second-guess her decision to tell them. She then heard herself saying something that she had no control over.  
  
“I think the father is… I think it might be… It’s Mac.”

* * *

“Oh, my God, Ruthie… Are you sure?” Lucy asked. Mary had been wondering the same thing and was now sitting on the bed beside Ruthie.  
  
Ruthie heard herself weaving herself a tale of lies. However, she knew that she wasn’t ready yet to tell the truth.  
  
“I’m almost positive. When Martin and I went to the Promenade, Mac saw that I was pregnant and asked Martin if it was his. Of course Martin said no and then told Mac that I’d been raped and was now pregnant, blah blah blah, and then Mac got all weird and said he had to go. I suspected it was Mac, because whoever it was sounded like him, but this just confirmed what I already knew. Now, I just have to tell Martin, which won’t be fun.”  
  
Ruthie fell back onto the bed, laying her hand on her forehead, exhausted and she hadn’t even broken the news to Martin. She was hoping that her scene was working, but then again, she was the best actress in the family.  
  
Mary now spoke up.  
  
“Ruthie, shouldn’t you wait to tell Martin until you’re positive Mac is the one that did it.”  
  
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Your women’s intuition might be working after all.”  
  
Mary again socked Ruthie with a pillow and the pillow fight continued until there was a knock on the door.  
  
“Who is it?” Ruthie asked innocently.  
  
“It’s me, babe. Can I come in.”  
  
“Yeah.” Ruthie took a quick look in the mirror and checked her hair. Mary and Lucy both rolled their eyes.  
  
“Shut up.” Ruthie mouthed.  
  
Martin walked in and slid his arm around her waist.  
  
“How are my two favorite people doing?”  
  
“Geez, Martin, you act like Mac’s kid is yours or something. Oh, crap…” Lucy, realizing what she had just said, quickly stood up.  
  
“Mary, I think mom’s yelling at me. Can you come to vouch for me?”  
  
“Yeah. See you, Ruthie.”  
  
Ruthie gave a dangerous look towards the two of them as they ran out.  
  
_Great, now he’s getting into this story… not the way I planned on telling people_.  
  
Martin scooted away from Ruthie.  
  
“What was she… Mac… he did… no, he couldn’t… what? If you knew, why didn’t you tell me?”  
  
“Martin, I didn’t know. I’m not sure if it’s his, but it sounded like him. After the way he acted at the Promenade today, I just… I just… it seems to be him, that’s all. Look, I was coming to tell you, but I was afraid of your reaction. I didn’t even tell them the truth. I wanted to tell you first, though.”  
  
Martin suddenly looked bloodthirsty and cut Ruthie’s sentence off.  
  
“I’ll be back in a while. Tell your mom I’ll be back in time for dinner.”  
  
“No, Martin. Wait!” Ruthie yelled to no avail. Martin stormed out, grabbing his coat and getting into his car. He backed out of the driveway and noticed Ruthie running towards his car.  
  
“Martin, please don’t do this. You might do something you’ll regret. Please, just come inside so we can talk. There’s really no reason to…”  
  
“Ruth, nobody, especially one of my best friends, hurts you like he hurt you. He deserves what he’s about to get.”  
  
“Martin! No!”  
  
Martin sped off in the direction of Mac’s house, talking to himself.  
  
“I trusted him, I knew he liked her and I thought nothing of it. When I saw him at the party with a smug look, and then Ruthie all shaken up, I didn’t even think about it. I’m going to hurt him just like he’s hurt her. Nobody hurts my baby, not anyone.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

Martin pulled into Mac’s driveway, nearly missing the mailbox.  
  
I still need to buff those scratches.  He thought, parking the car and shutting off the engine.  
  
Martin stormed up to the front door and rang the doorbell. He waited as patiently as he could for the door to open, and Mac finally opened it. Upon seeing him, Martin grabbed the other man by the collar.  
  
“You raped Ruthie? You perverted freak! How could you do that? What is wrong with you? You’ve made her life a living hell! What could possibly be going through your mind for you to do something like that? What is wrong with you?”  
  
Mac, who was surprised by this aggression from his best friend, tried to ask Martin to put him down so they could talk. However, it came out as a choke seeing as how Martin was holding him by the collar.  
  
Martin lowered him to the floor and pushed Mac into a chair.  
  
“What could’ve possibly been going through your mind that made you do something that evil and selfish? Now you’re going to have a kid with her, a kid neither you nor she wants! What’s wrong with you, man?” Martin said through clenched teeth.  
  
“Look, Martin, I’m sorry. Really, I am. I was drunk and I know that isn’t an excuse, but I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m really sorry.  
  
“Mac, if you were drunk, then how do you remember raping her?”  
  
“Because I sobered up during all of it and once I realize what I’d done, I was afraid. So I ran and just left her there. I’m really sorry. Now I’m having a kid with her. God, this sucks.”  
  
“Mac, I swear to God, you better pray that Ruthie doesn’t take you to court. I think she ought to, but, being the sweet girl she is, she may not. Believe me, though, I think there’s a good chance you’ll feel some heat from here. Listen, I’m going to go so that I don’t do something I’ll regret later, but don’t think you’re getting off easily. I can’t… I just can’t believe you, man.”  
  
“Martin, look, I’m sorry. Really, I…”  
  
Martin slammed the door behind him and got into his car, where he burst into tears. Not for himself and not for Mac, but for Ruthie; Ruthie, the girl who was pregnant with his best friend’s kid. If anyone was going to get her pregnant, Martin had hoped it would’ve been him to do it. But instead, Mac came along. Martin started the engine, and drove home.  
  
Ruthie was waiting for him on the front porch. When she saw him pull up, she ran over to his car. When she saw he didn’t plan on getting out, she opened up the door and got in the passenger side.  
  
“Did Mac do it?” Ruthie asked without looking at Martin.  
  
“Yeah.” Martin said, running his hand through his hair and then putting his head in his hands.  
  
Ruthie began to lightly sob at this revelation.  
  
“You know, Martin, if I had to choose someone to have a baby with, it would’ve been you.” Ruthie said, all the while knowing that her story was going right over Martin’s head.  
  
“I would’ve had a baby with you, too. But that doesn’t change anything, does it?”  
  
“Well, Martin, what if we get married? We will get married, right?”  
  
“Ruthie, I’ve already explained this to you. As soon as it’s legal, I’m marrying you. You’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.  You’re the one I want to have kids with, nobody else.”  
  
Martin kissed her forehead and brought her into his chest.  
  
“Ok. I want to marry you, too. Maybe when we marry, you can adopt this kid and that way you’ll be a legal guardian. I don’t want Mac anywhere near my baby. He hurt me and deserves what he’s going to get.”  
  
“What’s that, babe?”  
  
“A court trial.”

* * *

Martin walked through the back door leading to the kitchen. So many stories had begun and ended here, and another one was yet to come.  
  
Annie was in the kitchen, slicing up vegetables for dinner that night. When Martin and Ruthie entered, she looked up.  
  
“Where have you been? Is something wrong?” She asked, noticing their tear-stained faces.  
  
“Martin and I need to see everyone in the living room… now. It’s important. Everything else can wait, believe me.”  
  
Martin escorted Ruthie towards the living room as Annie yelled up the flight of stairs and all throughout the house for everyone go into the living room.  
  
About ten minutes later, Annie had finally come to a stopping point in dinner preparation and everyone else was assembled on various couches and chairs. Simon, who was now becoming impatient, asked in a sardonic tone, “Are you two pregnant?”  
  
Ruthie glared at Simon, almost blurting out something she knew she would have regretted.  
  
Mary socked Simon in the stomach hard and he looked as if he was about to cry, making Ruthie laugh. But the humor only lasted for a short minute until the family had settled down again. Ruthie then spoke up.  
  
“I’ve had a feeling about this for a while. I’ve already told Mary and Lucy; but when I told them, I wasn’t sure if it was true. The more I thought about it, the more I thought it was exactly how I figured it would be. It turns out; this is exactly how I thought it would be.” Ruthie said, feeling guilty for not being honest.  
  
Mary and Lucy’s eyes began to well up with tears, knowing that what Ruthie was about to say would bring torment and pain to the family. They looked at Martin, who seemed to be even more crushed than Ruthie.  
  
“I found out who the father is. I didn’t go to the doctor’s or anything, but deep down I knew he’s the father.” Ruthie began, now placing her hand on her stomach.  
  
“Martin overheard me telling Mary and Lucy, so that’s how he found out. Then he went over to talk, or yell, I don’t know which. What I do know, though, is that I’ve been raped by Mac.” Ruthie was now crying, but she had begun to cry long before the rest of the family. The Camdens were now crying right along with her.  
  
“His best excuse is that he was drunk.” Martin told the family, his voice cracking.  
  
“I want to take him to court and make him suffer like I did. I can’t live like this anymore, knowing he’s out there and could hurt somebody else.”  
  
“Well, what did you say to him, Martin?” Matt chimed in.  
  
“I told him that he was a freak and that Ruthie will go after him. I told him to be thankful that I didn’t hurt him and I told him he has a lot of guts to hurt my baby like that. I told him that he’d be extremely lucky if Ruthie didn’t make him come to court. Well, look how that worked out, Ruthie’s setting up a court date. Pervert isn’t getting his way.  
  
The Camden family exchanged glances and then looked at Martin, who was holding Ruthie in his arms, stroking her hair and whispering that everything was going to be just fine. They watched as he kissed her hair, smelled it and cried right along with her.  
  
When Martin looked at the family again, he saw smug smiles on everyone’s faces.  
  
“What?” He demanded.  
  
“Nothing, it’s just… you two act like you’ve gone out forever and are married, but you’ve only been going out, what, a few weeks? You just seem to fit together perfectly, that’s all.” Simon replied.  
  
Martin smiled and looked down at Ruthie, who looked up at him.  
  
“Well, I do love her.”  
  
Ruthie smiled, turning to her family once more. She noticed that Kevin had stood up.  
  
“Where are you going?”  
  
“Ruthie, do you really think I’m going to let Mac just sit at home? I’m a cop so, believe me, that won’t happen. Just stay here and I’ll take care of it.”  
  
Before Ruthie could say anything, Kevin walked out and headed towards his car. Martin ran after him and got into the passenger seat. Ruthie looked out the window and watched as Kevin drove off, in the direction of Mac’s house.  
  
Sarah was walking through the kitchen half an hour later when the phone rang. She answered it and listened carefully as the person on the other end of the line spoke.  
  
“Okay, thank you. I’ll tell them.”  
  
“Who was that?” Annie asked, running down the stairs with Eric, David and Sam following behind her.  
  
“Is everything ok, Sarah?” Eric asked, noticing Sarah’s pale face. The woman slowly shook her head.  
  
“That was the hospital, Kevin and Martin were in an accident. Kevin is okay, he had some minor injuries. But Martin is hurt, bad. He’s unconscious.”

* * *

Eric, Annie, and Sarah were rushing around the house. They knew that Ruthie and Lucy would be the hardest to tell.  
  
Matt had finally found Lucy, who was writing a sermon for next week’s service; her father had asked her to write a sermon every other week and Lucy was freaking out about this sermon. As of now, she had nothing to write.  
  
“Luce, can I talk to you for a minute?”  
  
“I’m really busy, Matt.”  
  
“Luce, it’s about Kevin. It’s important.”  
  
Lucy looked up and, after seeing Matt’s expression, asked him to sit at the table beside her.  
  
“What’s wrong with Kevin?”  
  
“Lucy, Kevin and Martin were in an accident. Kevin is all right, but Martin isn’t doing too well. He’s unconscious right now.”  
  
“Oh, my God. Does Ruthie know?”  
  
“Simon’s telling Ruthie. She’s going to be pretty upset.”  
  
“We should go find her.” Lucy stood up, the sermon now forgotten.  
  
“I agree, let’s go.” Matt led the way to Ruthie’s room.  
  
Simon was the one to find Ruthie, who was admiring herself in a mirror and smiling as she rubbed her hands on her belly.  
  
“Ruthie? Hey, sit down, we need to talk.”  
  
“What’s going on?”  
  
Simon took a seat on the vacant bed and Ruthie sat on her own bed. Simon let out a sigh.  
  
“Ruthie, Martin and Kevin were in an accident.”  
  
“Are you serious? Simon, please tell me you’re kidding. _Please_ … please tell me this is a sick joke.”  
  
Simon shook his head sadly.  
  
“Simon, no! Is he hurt?”  
  
“Ruth, he’s unconscious. I’m sorry.”  
  
“No, he can’t be!”  
  
Simon joined Ruthie on her bed and pulled her close, holding her as she cried. Then, after a minute, there was a muffled reply from Ruthie.  
  
“Martin’s the father.”  
  
Simon pulled away from his sister and looked at her in shock.  
  
“What?!”  
  
“Simon, I had to lie. Mac did rape me, but this baby… it’s Martin’s. He’s having a baby with me, not Mac. So, if he dies…”  
  
“Ruthie, he’s not going to die. Come on, I’ll drive you to the hospital. Mom and Dad are still gathering the others.”


	6. Chapter 6

Simon backed out of the driveway and drove off towards the hospital. He looked over at Ruthie, who was silently sitting in her seat. Simon knew she didn’t want to talk, but he had too many questions to just let her sit there in silence.  
  
“Okay,” Simon began. “Do you mind explaining this to me, Ruthie? Because first, I’m told that my favorite sister was raped and that’s she pregnant with the rapist’s child. Now I’m told you were raped, but the kid is Martin’s. What’s going on, Ruthie?”  
  
“Mac did rape me, but that was just recently. Martin and I, at this other party, well… we both just felt something and one thing led to another. Then I found out I was pregnant; we agreed that it had just been a one-time thing and that we’d keep it a secret, I didn’t tell him I was pregnant.”  
  
“What?! Why not? I think the guy deserves to know if you’re having his baby.”  
  
“I know he does, but I just couldn’t bring myself to tell him. He looked so scared, like he was worried that someone would find out about what happened, so I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”  
  
“What about Mac, then?”  
  
“A few weeks later, after I found out I was pregnant, I asked Martin to take me to this party he was going to. I told him that Mom and Dad said it was okay, but I never asked them. I just left and when we got there, I asked Martin if he’d meet me in a bedroom upstairs because we needed to talk. When I got up there, I used the restroom to take another test to see if I was pregnant. It was positive, so I walked out ready to tell Martin for real. Then Mac was there, and he raped me. By the time Martin finally found the right bedroom, Mac was gone and I just couldn’t talk. So he did; he said he didn’t think we should start anything and that it would have to be kept a secret. So, I said okay and left. He thinks Mac is the father, along with everyone else in this family.”  
  
“So, Martin knows that Mac raped you but doesn’t know the kid is his?”  
  
“Yeah, and it kills me knowing that he’s unconscious now. What if he doesn’t wake up?”  
  
“God, Ruthie, stop thinking like that! He’s going to be fine. I suggest that you tell the family who the real father is. I think Mom and Dad would be a lot happier if they knew that their future grandchild wasn’t the product of a selfish, perverted act.”  
  
“I know and I’m sorry, I really am. I shouldn’t have lied, but I just didn’t know what to do.  
  
“For starters, you could’ve told the truth.”  
  
Ruthie laid her head back against the headrest as Simon pulled into the hospital parking lot.

* * *

Ruthie had asked her family, who was already in the waiting room when Ruthie and Simon arrived, to give her some time alone with Martin.  
  
She entered Martin’s room and instantly began to tear up as she saw the love of her life hooked up to what seemed to be hundreds of machines with bandages around his head.  
  
Ruthie edged closer to the bed and kissed Martin on the cheek. When he didn’t react to it or move even the slightest, Ruthie felt upset. She decided to talk to him, hoping that something would wake him up.  
  
“Martin, you can’t be hurt like this. I want to spend my life with you, you’re everything to me and I can’t… Martin, I just can’t… I can’t bring this… your… baby into the world without you.”  
  
Ruthie was sobbing freely now and, with every ounce of her body, tried to control herself. But she found it impossible and laid down next to Martin on his bed, sniffing him. All she could smell, though, was blood and emptiness. She no longer smelled the familiar smell of the man she loved, the man she loved. Because of her fear, Martin didn’t even know the truth.  
  
“Martin, this baby is yours. You have to wake up, I don’t know what I’ll do if you don’t wake up soon. I need to tell you that I love you, Martin Brewer. I want to marry you, but I won’t be able to do that if you don’t listen. Please, Martin, wake up!”  
  
Ruthie went into a fit of rage, throwing things and crying her eyes out until she curled up in a ball in a corner of the hospital room.  
  
Kevin had been passing by on his way to the vending machine when he heard Ruthie screaming. He walked in and saw her sitting on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. She had wet stains on her shirt and pants from her tears; Kevin’s heart fell.  
  
He walked over to Ruthie and sat down beside her. “Ruthie, I’m really sorry, it’s my fault…”  
  
“No, it’s not, Kevin. Don’t blame yourself, nobody could’ve done anything.”  
  
“He had his seatbelt on and everything, I don’t know how he got hurt this bad.”  
  
Ruthie gave a weak smile.  
  
“He’ll never forget his seatbelt. He may forget everything else in the world, but he’ll never forget about his seatbelt.” Ruthie said quietly. Remembering the times when he’d remind her or bugged her brought her back to tears.  
  
_That’s all I ever do now, cry._  
  
“Kevin, is everybody still in the waiting room?”  
  
“Yeah, why”  
  
“Well, tell them all to come in here. There’s something I need to tell everyone.”  
  
Kevin kissed her forehead and went to find the family. Ten minutes later, everyone entered and took spots around the room to stand or sit.  
  
“Ruthie, what’s the matter?” Matt asked.  
  
“I know that this has been hard on all of us, me getting pregnant and now this. But this has been hardest on me. I didn’t tell the whole truth about my pregnancy. Don’t get hopeful, I am pregnant, but I lied about who the father was.  
  
“How could you lie about that? Wait… is Mac not the father?” Lucy asked.  
  
“No, Mac isn’t the father. He did rape me, but that was after I found out I was pregnant. There was this other party about a month before where Martin and I… well… we just… Martin’s the father.”  
  
The room was dead silent for what seemed like an eternity. The women in the room began to cry and Annie looked away.  
  
When she finally mustered up the strength to speak again, she asked Ruthie, “Why did you lie to us? You should’ve told us. Telling us the truth in the first place would’ve made this much easier to take.” Annie looked away from her daughter and buried her head in Eric’s arms.  
  
Ruthie looked down at her stomach.  
  
“I’m sorry, really. I was just scared and I didn’t want Martin to know… I… I’m sorry.” Ruthie felt extremely guilty and broke down in tears. She couldn’t talk anymore, so Simon decided to step in.  
  
“She was going to tell Martin the night Mac raped her. But after that happened, she shut the world out. She told me on the way over here.”  
  
Eric finally spoke up. “So, this kid is Martin’s? And now Martin is in a coma and may not wake up? As angry as I am with you, I have to say, Martin is probably the best guy to have a baby with. I know this must be hard for you, Ruthie. He will wake up, he will be here for the birth. Don’t worry.”  
  
Ruthie walked over to her father, the father who had helped her through many things and who she had confided in after overhearing something in the family, and curled up in his lap. She realized that this was uncomfortable since she couldn’t suck her stomach in, so she unrolled herself and sat in his lap instead, crying into his shoulder.  
  
The family sat like this for a while, giving Ruthie hugs, talking to Martin, and listening to the beeps of Martin’s heart monitor. It was the only thing that showed Martin was still alive.  
  
_I love you, Ruthie Camden. Please don’t worry about me, I’m going to come out of this as soon as God allows. I’m going to be there for the birth of my baby. When I get back, and that will be soon, I’m going to hold you like there’s no tomorrow. Soon, I’m going to hold our child and, one day, I’m going to hold you in my arms as I carry you across the threshold of our first house as a married couple. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, Ruth. I love you…_

 


	7. Chapter 7

Ruthie walked into the room where Matt and Sarah were planning on staying in. Lately, Sarah hadn’t been feeling too well, so Matt and Sarah decided they’d stay in Glen Oak until after the baby was born. As for their jobs and school, they were granted a temporary transfer and had permission to work at the Glen Oak hospital. They didn’t think they’d be allowed to do it, but the administration at Columbia managed to pull a few strings. Just the other day, Matt and Sarah found out they were going to have a baby boy; Sarah was now .  
  
Ruthie saw Sarah lying on her bed, reading a magazine.  
  
“Sarah, can we talk?”  
  
“Of course. What’s up, sweetie?”  
  
“Well, I’m wondering if I should find out the sex of my baby but I want Martin to be with me when I find out. It is his baby, after all.”  
  
“Ruthie, it’s probably—“ Sarah began, but she was interrupted by Simon calling up Ruthie’s name and Ruthie could see him nearly trip over Sam and David, who were playing in the hallway.  
  
“Why don’t you two go play in your room? There’ll be less chances of someone dying in the hallway.”  
  
“Why are people dying in the hallway?” Sam asked.  
  
Simon rolled his eyes.  
  
“Never mind… Ruthie! There you are! We have to get to the hospital, now.”  
  
“Why, what’s wrong?”  
  
“Martin woke up.”  
  
Twenty minutes later, Ruthie ran through the hospital door and towards Martin’s room. It had been three weeks since Ruthie told her family about Martin being the father and since then, Martin had been constantly improving. Now, he’d finally woken up!”  
  
As soon as she walked into the room, she saw Martin sitting up in bed watching a baseball game.  
  
“Babe, I was so scared!”  
  
Martin smiled and said.  
  
“So, we’re having a baby together?”  
  
“What? How did you…”  
  
“Dr. Brooks didn’t know that you told everyone Mac was the father. So, he started asking me a bunch of questions and I kind of figured it out. Plus, I heard you while I was out of it, I guess you could say.” Martin finished with a laugh.  
  
“You could hear me? God, I sounded awful.”  
  
“Ruthie, why didn’t you tell me?” Martin asked, the smile now gone from his face.  
  
“I wanted to, Martin. But on the night I was ready to, Mac raped me and I just didn’t want to talk to anyone.”  
  
Martin motioned for her to come to him and placed his hand on her slightly bulging stomach, looking at it with an adoration Ruthie had never seen in him before. Then, he brought her close and kissed her. They made out for some time before finally pulling apart.  
  
“Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”  
  
“I was actually asking Sarah about it when Simon told me you were awake. Do you think we should find out? Or should we wait until it’s born?”  
  
“I want to find out now.”  
  
Ruthie smiled and kissed him.  
  
“Glad to hear that, I want to find out now too. I’m going to go make an appointment right now.”  
  
“Wait, will they even let me out of the room?”  
  
“I’ll ask them to let you walk down to the maternity ward. I’m sure that’s somewhere in the hospital, they won’t mind.”  
  
“Yeah, but this gown is quite drafty in the back.  
  
Ruthie blushed and giggled.  
  
“Well, it’s not anything I haven’t seen before.”  
  
Martin laughed.  
  
“But I don’t want the rest of the hospital seeing it, though.” Martin’s face suddenly went from happy to worried. “Crap, have you told my dad?”  
  
Ruthie suddenly realized that she was leaving out a key person. Bill Brewer didn’t even know Ruthie was pregnant, let alone know that he would soon be a grandfather.  
  
“No. God, I completely forgot! Why don’t you tell him? I told everyone in my family.”  
  
“Fine, give me the hard part.”  
  
“I told my family of a _billion_ people, _after_ I had already lied to them. I think you’re capable of telling one person.”  
  
Once Ruthie had called the maternity ward to make an appointment and Martin’s doctor let him go ahead up with Ruthie. They waited, holding hands in the waiting room, and were seeing the doctor within an hour.  
  
“Well, Ruthie, I’m glad to see the father is back up.”  
  
“Yeah, couldn’t miss this.” Martin smiled, looking down at Ruthie.  
  
_Father! I’m going to be a father. To Ruthie Camden’s baby. That’s one thing I never thought I’d have to think about_.  
  
Dr. Graham began putting the jelly substance on Ruthie’s belly. Martin and Ruthie were now looking at the first pictures of their…  
  
_Wait._  
  
“Well, here are your children.” Dr. Graham said, smiling at the young couple.  
  
“Oh, my God, Martin. Look at them! Wait… did you say _children_ , as in the plural of child?”  
  
“Yes, I did. You two are having twins. It looks like a boy and a girl.”  
  
Ruthie felt as if she was going to faint. One child was going to be hard enough, but _two_ …?  
  
“Wait, Doctor. You’re telling me that Ruthie and I are having two children? At the same time?” Martin asked.  
  
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m telling you. You two are having twins, as in two babies. I’ll give you a minute.”  
  
Dr. Graham left the room and Ruthie looked at Martin.  
  
“Are you sure that we can handle two kids? Martin, one will be hard enough, but I don’t know if I…” Ruthie trailed off.  
  
“Ruthie, you’re going to be a great mom. If God wants us to have two kids, then we’re going to have two kids. It’s a boy and a girl, which means we both get our way. I get the boy to coach in baseball and you get the girl to go shopping with every weekend, and buy me out of my own house. So, it all works out.”  
  
Ruthie smiled.  
  
“I’m so glad I’m having a baby with you.”  
  
“I am too. I’m so glad we, you know…”  
  
Ruthie laughed, looking back at the ultrasound picture. Martin grabbed her hand.  
  
“So, what are we going to tell your family?”  
  
“The truth. We’ll tell them instead of two grandchildren within a month of each other, they’re going to have three. Geez, my parents are going to go head over heels!”  
  
“Lucy will be worse. Don’t you know she’s going to be all over us?”  
  
Ruthie laughed and Martin laughed with her.  
  
“Two kids, Ruth. Between you and me, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”  
  
Ruthie smiled and kissed Martin, knowing she’d be kissing him for the rest of her life.

* * *

Martin and Ruthie walked back down to Martin’s room, where the entire Camden family was waiting for them.  
  
“Martin, we were so worried about you! We thought you’d been taken to surgery or something.” Annie said.  
  
Martin laughed as he got back into his bed. He noticed, however, that Matt and Simon were giving him the _how-dare-you-touch-my-sister-like-you-did-now-you’re-dead_ look. He tried to ignore it, but it was as if they were burning through his soul. Finally, Martin spoke up.  
  
“Look, you two, what I did was wrong but that doesn’t mean I need to be treated any differently. Mac is the one you should be angry with, not me.”  
  
Matt and Simon just looked away, and Martin rolled his eyes. He looked at Ruthie, giving her a questioning look. She nodded and got the family’s attention.  
  
“Guys, we both went to my appointment and we found out what we’re having. I’m going to let Martin tell you, though.”  
  
Martin looked at Ruthie, shocked.  
  
“Ruth, I think we both should tell them.”  
  
“Hurry up and tell us! I want to know if I’m going to have a niece or nephew.” Lucy yelled.  
  
“Well, you’re going to have both! We’re having twins!” Martin announced with joy.  
  
Hugs and kisses came to Martin and Ruthie faster than fire spreads through a forest. Everyone was crying, hugging, kissing, and crying some more, until the rush had finally stopped. Simon and Matt had been so excited that they actually hugged Martin, saying, “Congratulations, you’ll be a great dad…” and Martin felt a bit better. He knew that they’d never feel the same way about him, but at least they were speaking to him now.  
  
“So, how are you going to decide on names?” Kevin asked.  
  
“Well, Martin and I have already covered that. Martin will name the boy and I’ll name the girl; I’m thinking of Abigail Ryann, in honor of our great-grandmothers, but I’ll probably call her Abby.”  
  
“Abby… that’s gorgeous. What about the boy, Martin?” Lucy asked.  
  
“Well, I haven’t decided yet, but I was thinking about Keith. I can’t decide on a middle name, though, which is kind of disappointing.”  
  
“So, their names will be Keith and Abigail? I love it! Haven’t you even considered a middle name yet, Martin?” Lucy asked again.  
  
“I thought about Lionel, it was my great-great-grandfather’s name. He fought in World War I with England. But I don’t know, it sounds really proper.”  
  
“I love it! Keith Lionel and Abigail Ryann, aww… I love it! What about last names?”  
  
Martin and Ruthie looked at one another and nodded, deciding to tell them what they had discussed not too long ago.  
  
“Well,” Ruthie began, “we plan on getting married. Not because of the kids, but because we really do love each other. So, we’re going to go ahead and name them Brewers.”  
  
Annie seemed a little disappointed, but immediately brightened up when she realized that they were planning on getting married.  
  
“You two want to get married?”  
  
“Yeah, I love her, Mrs. Camden. I really do. I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”  
  
Eric stood up and went to shake Martin’s hand.  
  
“When the time comes, and not a minute sooner, I’ll give you my blessing.” Eric informed him.  
  
“As do I,” Annie said, giving Martin a hug. Martin smiled.  
  
“Thank you, and believe me… I won’t propose _too_ early.”  
  
Ruthie playfully slapped him and Martin laughed. The men of the family then shook Martin’s hand while the women gave him hugs. Martin was glad that he would be accepted and couldn’t wait until the day he would slip a ring on Ruthie’s finger.  
  
“So, Keith Lionel Brewer and Abigail Ryann Brewer. I feel like they’re here already! You guys are going to be great parents.” Sarah said with a smile.  
  
Martin smiled back.  
  
“I don’t know about me, but I know that Ruthie will be a great mom.”  
  
Ruthie smiled and began to laugh. The entire family joined her and, soon, real laughter was heard for the first time since Ruthie’s pregnancy was announced.

 


	8. Chapter 8

It had been one month since Ruthie found out that she was having twins. Half a month after the discovery, Martin was allowed to come home. Ruthie was now five months along and felt like a balloon. It bummed her out that she still had four months to go and she already felt huge enough. However, she was constantly reminded that, in four months, she’d be the proud mother of two children. All in all, she was pretty excited.  
  
Martin had been asked to be kept on bed-rest since upon arriving home and he didn’t have the strength to keep himself on his feet just yet. As much as Martin wanted to help with painting the babies’ room and moving furniture in, he had to sit in bed and eat certain food. For Martin, it definitely sucked.  
  
“Hey, babe, how’s the room coming?” Martin asked when Ruthie walked into his room one early July morning.  
  
“I wouldn’t know, I can’t stand up straight and my stomach is so heavy. I’ve been laying on the couch downstairs.”  
  
“Come here,” Martin said, and moved over so that Ruthie could fit her big belly on the bed. Martin slid his arm around her and placed his other hand on her stomach.  
  
“Remember the night they started kicking?” Martin asked.  
  
“Yeah, I walked in here and you thought I was labor. You were yelling about how you couldn’t get out of bed. Man, that was hilarious.”  
  
“I was hoping that we wouldn’t remember that part. Anyways, once I finally calmed down, I felt them kick and then I hugged you. Your parents screamed when we were in the same bed in the morning.”  
  
“Then we finally convinced them that we’d just fallen asleep after feeling them kick, and now they’ll never trust us again.”  
  
“Yeah, but they haven’t trusted us for a while and that wasn’t the reason.”  
  
Ruthie smiled and nestled into his chest. Martin sniffed her hair, the scent of her shampoo was one of his favorite scents.  
  
“Ruthie, isn’t your trial against Mac coming up?”  
  
Ruthie’s smiled faded.  
  
“Yeah, next week… I hate it, I wish that he’d never done this. It will be really tough to convince people if I’m pregnant by someone else.”  
  
“Don’t worry, babe, you’ll be just fine. There’s no way that I’m going to let him win, alright?”  
  
“I love you, Martin.”  
  
“I love you too.”  
  
“So, how was the room coming along the last time you checked?” Martin asked a few minutes later.  
  
“Last time I checked, they were starting to paint.”  
  
“What color are they painting it?”  
  
“They’re painting it some kind of green shade. I don’t know what shade, but they said it’ll be green.”  
  
“I thought we agreed on half purple, half red.”  
  
“Well, yeah, but I thought one color would make it less busy.”  
  
“Babe, I thought this was going to be something we decided on together.”  
  
“Well, everything else is how we decided on it… as of now.”  
  
“What do you mean, as of now?” Martin demanded.  
  
“Martin, don’t flip out. It’s just a room color.”  
  
“Ruthie, it’s the room where our children will grow up in for a while. I’d like everything to be how we both agreed on it.”  
  
“You’re just mad you can’t get up.”  
  
“Well, yeah. I’d be much happier if I was assisting instead of lying down all day, but I can’t do anything about it. You know, you could be helping some.”  
  
“I’m pregnant! With two children! I’m double the size of a woman with one baby at five months! Don’t talk to me about helping out. I’m helping out enough by bringing your children into this world, so don’t tell me I’m not making my contribution.” Ruthie yelled at Martin, standing up and storming out the room, slamming the door on her way out.  
  
Martin heard a thud as soon as the door shut. Worried, he stood and walked outside, and found Ruthie on the floor.”  
  
“I told you I couldn’t stand up straight, let alone slam doors and keep my balance. You shouldn’t be up, babe.”  
  
“Well, you shouldn’t be falling on floors with my children.”  
  
Ruthie gave a weak smile, but gasped as she felt a jolt of pain.  
  
“Martin, I think I did something.”  
  
“Why? What’s wrong?”  
  
“I don’t know, something doesn’t feel right.”  
  
“Hang on, babe. I’ll go get somebody.”  
  
Fortunately, Matt was coming up the stairs when Martin turned around.  
  
“Martin, you shouldn’t be up. Ruthie, why are you on the floor?”  
  
“Because I enjoy sitting on the floor. It’s my special place.” Ruthie said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.  
  
“Matt, Ruthie’s in pain. She just fell, but we don’t know what’s wrong.” Martin told Matt.  
  
“All right, hang on a minute. Ruthie, I need you to lay flat on your back, all right? Martin, go get Mom and Dad. Oh, and please find Sarah too, okay?”  
  
Martin walked down the hall, all the while freaking out that something could be terribly wrong with Ruthie and the babies.

* * *

  
“Matt, it hurts!” Ruthie cried. “What’s wrong with me? Are the babies okay?”  
  
“Ruthie, I don’t know. Just wait a minute, ok? How does this feel?” Matt asked, putting light pressure on Ruthie’s bulging stomach.  
  
“Ow! Matt, what’s wrong with my babies?”  
  
Martin came running up the stairs, with Eric, Annie and Sarah following behind. Sarah was, of course, walking slower than the others now that she was five months along.  
  
“What’s wrong with her, Matt?” Martin asked frantically.  
  
“I’m trying to figure it out, just give me a while.” Matt said, still examining Ruthie.  
  
Ruthie was now crying from the pain. She knew something was wrong and was praying that her children would be okay.  
  
“Matt, please, just make it stop!”  
  
“Ruthie, I don’t have the proper equipment. Dad, could you drive us to the hospital.”  
  
“Of course, let’s go.”  
  
With that, Eric and Matt carried Ruthie down the stairs, out of the house and laid her in the back seat of the car. Once Ruthie was secured in the back seat, Eric and Matt jumped in the front seat, Eric speeding off to the hospital. Annie, Sarah and Martin were in the other car.  
  
Once they had arrived, Ruthie was immediately sent to a room to be examined. By now, she found it extremely hard to breathe and was red in the face.  
  
“It’s going to be fine.” Matt whispered, holding her hand. Ruthie nodded, unable to reply. By now, everyone had gathered in the room.  
  
A few minutes later, a doctor came into the room.  
  
“All right, I need everyone out but the father.” Dr. Graham told the family. They nodded and began filing out, leaving Matt and Martin in the room.  
  
“Matt…” Dr. Graham said, eying him.  
  
“Please, Janet. This is my baby sister.”  
  
“All right. So, Ruthie…” Dr. Graham put on a pair of latex gloves and lifted up Ruthie’s shirt, feeling her stomach.  
  
“How long has this been going on?”  
  
“About half an hour.” Martin answered for Ruthie.  
  
“How often does the pain come?”  
  
“Every minute or so.” Matt answered.  
  
“All right.” Dr. Graham nodded and pulled down Ruthie’s shirt. “Ruthie, you’re experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions. Do you know what those are?”  
  
Ruthie nodded.  
  
“For the next four months, I want you to reduce as much stress as possible. Can you do that for me?”  
  
Ruthie nodded again, her breathing growing steadier.  
  
“I’m going to run the ultrasound machine, just to make sure the babies are all right.”  
  
Two hours later, Ruthie was being helped up the stairs back at the parsonage. Once she was tucked into bed, Martin sat beside her and took her hand.  
  
“I was so freaked out. Are you sure you’re okay?”  
  
“Martin, I’m fine and the babies are fine. You should be in bed.”  
  
Martin nodded and crawled onto the other side of the bed and got under the sheets.  
  
“In your own bed, Martin.”  
  
“Well, I want to make sure nothing happens to you and the babies.”  
  
Ruthie rolled her eyes and laughed.  
  
“Can you believe it, just four months? We’re going to be parents in four months, Martin.”  
  
“I know.” Martin said, stroking her arm. He placed his hand on top of Ruthie’s, which was lying on her belly.  
  
“Four more months until Keith Lionel and Abigail Ryann are born. Then our lives are changed forever.”  
  
“I can’t wait. I love you, Martin.”  
  
“I love you, too, Ruth.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part of this chapter is my own, added in 2013.

  
  
“I don’t think you should do this, Ruthie.” Martin said a week later. It was the day of Mac’s trial and Ruthie was prepared to face her rapist. She was ready to tell the jury what he had done to her.  
  
“Martin, I have to. I’ve already got enough coming against me, being pregnant and all, but I want Mac put behind bars once and for all.”  
  
“Believe me, babe, I want him to be behind bars as much as you do. But remember what the doctor said, you have to reduce stress; it isn’t good for the babies! My babies, Ruthie.”  
  
Ruthie raised a brow, looking at Martin.  
  
“They’re my babies too. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”  
  
They could hear Eric calling up the stairs for Ruthie.  
  
“I have to go, I’ll call you on the way home.”  
  
“Ruthie.” Martin pleaded, trying to reason with her one last time. Ruthie simply shook her head.  
  
“You know it’s for the best, Martin.”  
  
Martin let out a sigh, Ruthie did have a good point. As much as he didn’t want his girlfriend or unborn children anywhere near that bastard Mac, Ruthie’s statement at trial will be what puts him away once and for all.  
  
“Be careful, babe.” Martin gave her a kiss and Ruthie kissed back heatedly for a few seconds before pulling away.  
  
“Don’t worry about us. I love you.” Ruthie smiled and left the room, her retreating footsteps becoming fainter as she went down the stairs.  
  
Martin laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes. Meanwhile, Ruthie met up with her father in the electric car.  
  
“You ready?” Eric looked at her, a hint of worry written on his face. Ruthie rolled her eyes.  
  
“I’m ready and I’ll be just fine!” She snapped.  
  
“I’m sorry, Dad. I can do this, I have to do this for myself and the babies.”  
  
Eric looked at his daughter, trying to see if her eyes or any other part of her betrayed her words, but found nothing. He nodded and started the engine, pulling out of the driveway.  
  
The drive to the courthouse was excruciating for Ruthie. She kept mentally reminding herself he couldn’t hurt her now, that she could build up the nerves to say he raped her… to put him away once and for all. But then she was pregnant with Martin’s baby, not the Mac’s. Would it be enough to convince the jury?  
  
“We’re here.” Eric’s voice interrupted Ruthie’s chaotic thoughts. She blinked her eyes a few times and saw that they, indeed, were parked in front of the courthouse. Ruthie let out a sigh before unbuckling.  
  
“You’re going to be fine, Ruthie.” Eric tried comforting his daughter, but Ruthie knew his words were no use. There was no telling what would happen when she saw him again for the first time in weeks.  
  
It wasn’t long before everyone was settled into the courtroom. The judge entered from her chambers and say in her seat. She looked around the room, scrutinizing everyone behind her oval glasses. Ruthie felt a bit nervous.  
  
The doors behind her opened and she turned, suddenly feeling nauseous as Mac walked in. He had a slight smirk on his face and looked at her, winking.  
  
“I’m going to be sick.” Ruthie said, just loud enough for her father to hear. Eric put a comforting hand on her shoulder.  
  
“You can do this, I’m right here.”  
  
Ruthie nodded and took a deep breath.  
  
“Court is now in session.” The judge announced and soon Ruthie was retelling her story while looking down at her lap.  
  
“Thank you, Ms. Camden. You may take a seat.” Ruthie stood and sat by her father as her lawyer called up Mac.  
  
Mac retold his version of the story, but made it sound like Ruthie was the one asking for it. Mac’s lawyer called Ruthie back up and questioned the legitimacy of her rape, as she was pregnant. Ruthie recounted the details just prior to her rape and the night she spent with Martin.  
  
After two hours of debating by the jury, they came to a verdict.  
  
“Will both parties rise?” The judge asked when the jury filed back into the courtroom. Ruthie did as she was asked and waited nervously.  
  
“How does the jury find the defendant?” The judge looked at the lead juror.  
  
“Guilty of rape, ma’am.”  
  
Relief flooded through Ruthie and she fell to the ground in sobs. She didn’t know how much more time had passed before her father wrapped an arm around her and helped her up.  
  
“Let’s go home.”  
  
Ruthie nodded, wiping her eyes. She looked around, the courtroom was empty except for her and Eric.

* * *

Ruthie was now six months along and Sarah was seven; both of them were on bed-rest. The Camden family had set up a bell system, so that if either needed anything, they would just ring it and be attended to.  
  
Ruthie, however, didn’t really need hers because Martin would stay in her room all day, just thinking about how they’d go about their life and feeling her stomach when the children would kick.  
  
“Three months, babe, and you’re going to be a mom. God, how big do you think these kids are?”  
  
“What does that mean? Am I really that fat?”  
  
“No, you’re not fat. You’re pregnant.” Martin kissed Ruthie on the cheek. They remained silent for some time before Martin spoke up again.  
  
“Hey, you never told me how your trial with Mac went a few weeks ago.”  
  
“I wish you had been there, it was horrible.”  
  
“Did Mac testify? What did he say?”  
  
“He said he did rape me, but that I asked for it.”  
  
“What?” Martin sat up in bed.  
  
“But he was found guilty. The jury didn’t believe it and I don’t think the judge did either.”  
  
“What’s going to happen to him?”  
  
“He’s going to spend time in juvie, do community service, house arrest, no probation and a $500,000 bond.”  
  
“Well, he’s loaded.” Martin scoffed.  
  
“Martin, he’s your best friend. Don’t you…”  
  
“No, Ruthie. He _was_ my best friend, not _is_. He’s a pervert, who raped my pregnant wife.”  
  
“Martin, I’m not your wife yet.”  
  
“So? You’re going to be in a few years. You’re sixteen, just two years and I’m proposing to you.”  
  
“I don’t know if my parents are going to go for that.”  
  
“Ruth, I don’t know if I’ll be able to last another year.”  
  
“Why? Just so you can sleep with me again?” Ruthie raised a brow.  
  
Martin flashed a mischievous smile, which Ruthie knew meant _hell, yeah!_  
  
Ruthie laughed and leant forward to kiss Martin. They began making out heavily.  
  
A week later, Martin walked in while Ruthie was reading a book. She looked up at him and let out a sigh.  
  
“Martin, I’m getting scared. I mean, it’s only three months until I become a mother to two children. To be honest with you, I’m kind of excited, but at the same time, I’m freaking out! What if I’m not a good mom? What if I can’t do it? I don’t want Mom to do everything for me. How am I going to catch back up in school after an eight week maternity leave? Martin, there’s just so much, and I…”  
  
Martin put a finger to her lips.  
  
“You’re going to be the best mom around. I’m going to help you and you’ll be able to handle both of them. I’ll marry you, we’re going to have more children, and we’ll grow old together and watch our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I’m going to help you, Ruthie. You know, I could be one of those guys that sleeps with a girl and just leave. You’re lucky I stuck with you.”  
  
“You’re only stuck with me because otherwise my parents would have killed you.”  
  
“Well, yeah, that was an incentive.”  
  
“I love you so much that it hurts.”  
  
“I love you too, Ruth…”  
  
“No, it really hurts! Oh, my God…”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Martin, my water broke.”  
  
“You have two and a half months left, though. Oh, God, I’ll get Matt. Where did you put the suitcase?” Martin asked, running around the room like a chicken with its head cut off.”  
  
“Hah, you loser. Don’t you think that if my water broke, my skirt would be wet?”  
  
“Ruthie, that’s the fifth time this week. Stop it, you’re like the boy who cried wolf.”  
  
“Except I’m the girl who cried ‘labor and delivery’.”  
  
Martin laughed just as Matt walked in.  
  
“Hey, Ruthie. How are you doing?”  
  
“Fine. I feel enormous, though. I still have two and a half months!”  
  
“Ruthie, in two and a half months, you’ll be skinny again with an enormous, uh… chest.”  
  
“That’s the part I’m looking forward to.” Ruthie laughed.  
  
Martin laughed and Ruthie noticed his eyes slide down. She slapped him across the face, which caused Matt to crack up.

 


	10. Chapter 10

Ruthie was feeling miserable, she still had one month to go and she couldn’t move at all; Sarah was due any day now. Ruthie felt fat, tired, and she just wanted to get it all over with. She’d been extremely temperamental lately and would get angry over the smallest things now. She was ready to have her children, but they weren’t ready to come out.  
  
“Martin! Martin! Martin… please… hurry!” Ruthie cried.  
  
“What? What’s wrong? Are you okay? Where’s the suitcase?” Martin asked, running around the room.  
  
“It took five seconds for you to respond. Martin, that’s awful! In five second, I could have been in severe pain. If you’re going to be a good father, you need to respond quickly and with attentiveness.”  
  
“Okay, Mom.”  
  
“What?! I am _not_ your mother, nor do I sound like her.”  
  
“Darn right you’re not my mom. Thank god, too, because she was never this pushy or whiny.”  
  
“I am _pregnant_ Martin. I have _one_ month left. Don’t tell me that I am whiny or pushy. I am hanging on by a limb, any day now and I could bust. Just shut up, why don’t you?”  
  
“Oh, so that’s how it is, then? You can tell me what to do but, because you have a larger belly than me, I can’t tell you what to do? Is that how it works now?”  
  
“Martin, just go away. No, wait, can you help me down to Sarah’s room?”  
  
Martin rolled his eyes and reluctantly helped her down the hall. As much as he loved Ruthie, their fights seemed to happen more often the farther along Ruthie got. Martin was worried that they would hit a high point after the babies were born.  
  
“Hey, Sarah.” Ruthie said, entering the room. Sarah obviously didn’t want visitors, but Ruthie sat down anyways. Sarah glared at Martin and spoke in a snappish tone.  
  
“Hey, Ruthie. I feel like I’m going to burst, so if I burst on you, then it’s not my fault. Gosh, I can’t believe that this guy could come any day now.”  
  
“You never told me what you’re naming him.”  
  
“Isiah Lee Camden, what do you think?”  
  
“I love it! It’s a cute name! Whose idea was it?”  
  
“I chose Isiah, and Matt wanted his middle name to be Lee.”  
  
“Well, I love it! When did you say your due date was?”  
  
“It was supposed to be yesterday, so I guess you could say I’m overdue.”  
  
“I’m sorry. I wish I was early, I’m so sick of lugging this stomach around.”  
  
“Yeah. Wouldn’t it be cool if we had our babies on the same day?”  
  
“Yeah, that’d be hilarious. However, if you-“  
  
Ruthie was interrupted by a crash of thunder. It was so loud that the entire house shook and a pencil case fell off the desk in the room.  
  
“Wow, that was bad. What does the weather look like?”  
  
Sarah turned the television to the weather channel, where the weathermen were forecasting the worst rainstorm in California’s history. They were predicting massive flooding, which caused Sarah to worry.”  
  
“I hope Matt gets home safely. What if I go into labor during the middle of all this?”  
  
“Sarah, settle down. You’ll be- _ow_!”  
  
“What? Oh, my god, Ruthie! Your water broke, you’re early!”  
  
Ruthie looked down at her skirt and saw a wet spot in the middle. She began feeling pressure and realized that she was going into labor one month too soon.”  
  
“ _Ow_!” Ruthie cried.  
  
“Sarah, yell for Mar- _ow_! Ooh.” Ruthie began the breathing that she’d been caught in her classes as Sarah began frantically yelling.  
  
Martin ran into the room and, upon noticing the wet spot on Ruthie’s skirt, began to get everything ready.  
  
“Babe, where did you put the suitcase?” Martin ran back into the room, now breathless.  
  
“It’s in the closet. _Ow_! Martin, please hurry!”  
  
Martin ran back out the room and grabbed everything he could. When he went back into Sarah’s room, he noticed a news announcement coming on. The hospital was flooded in.  
  
They wouldn’t be able to get there.  
  
“Sarah, where’s Matt?”  
  
“He was at work. I don’t know where he is now, though.”  
  
“I’m right here!” Matt ran into the room and sat by Sarah’s side, brushing her hair back. He noticed Ruthie and Martin, and the wet spot on his sister’s skirt.  
  
“Oh.” Matt said. “Well, Ruthie, you still have another month.”  
  
Ruthie rolled her eyes.  
  
“Yeah, I’m aware of that. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m a month early. Please, just get me to the hospital!”  
  
“I just came from there, Ruthie. Believe me, there’s no possible way to get there.”  
  
“Well,” Ruthie began, but let out a cry. “ _Ow_! What are you going to do, then?”  
  
“Ruthie, I’m going to have to deliver your baby. Sarah, I’m going to need you to help me. I had a feeling something like this might happen, so I got everything that I really need. Martin, go get Mom and Dad, and ask for some old sheets and some old towels.”  
  
Martin nodded and ran downstairs, and Ruthie realized that her children would be born soon. Soon, she would be a full-fledged mother. She freaked out and began to cry.  
  
Ruthie felt like she had been in labor for hours and wasn’t making any progress at all. She didn’t understand; her water had broken! Since her water had broken, shouldn’t that mean having contractions would’ve sped up the labor process? Now it seemed that Matt wouldn’t have to try to get her to the hospital after all.  
  
“Matt, what’s wrong? I don’t even feel anything except pressure and, believe me, I know that’s not what you’re supposed to feel like!” Ruthie cried.  
  
“Ruthie, I’ve never seen anything like this before but from what I’ve noticed, your water may not have actually broke.”  
  
“Well, then what happened?”  
  
Matt looked up at his father and Eric knew that whatever was wrong would scare Ruthie, but not telling her would scare her even more.  
  
“Ruthie, do you really want to know?”  
  
“Yes, Matt! The future of my children’s lives may be at stake.”  
  
Matt let out a sigh and looked at Ruthie with a solemn expression.  
  
“You may have just lost one of the babies.”  
  
Ruthie’s heart fell, and yet she held her head high off the floor, even as she watched the world crash around her and that included the crashing thunder outside.  
  
“Then what was the wet stuff?”  
  
“Ruthie, that may have been fluid in your uterus. If you lost one of the babies, then you wouldn’t need that extra fluid. You may not even be in labor.”  
  
Ruthie gasped.  
  
“Matt, are you saying that one of my children may not even be there anymore?”  
  
“No, if you did lose one, it’ll still be there. It’ll just be a stillborn.”  
  
Ruthie began to cry, along with Martin, who she noticed was staring into space. His wide eyes had tears spilling down his face, but Martin didn’t even notice his own tears.  
  
Matt, Eric, Martin, and Annie were standing outside the bedroom, discussing what had to be done.  
  
“Dad,” Matt began. “I don’t want to deliver the babies here. I need to be at the hospital because she needs some real medical attention. I didn’t think that there would be any problem with the birth, so I didn’t get anything to take home.”  
  
“Matt, there’s no way to get to the hospital in this weather. You said it was flooded in.”  
  
“Yeah, well,” Matt sighed, looking between his parents and Martin. “We need to get there. I don’t care if I have to get her in the cancer ward, there is no way I can deliver here.”  
  
“Matt, please, don’t lose my children.”  
  
Matt looked down at Martin, who was still crying, and felt the utmost sympathy for him. Matt didn’t have to worry about losing his son, but Martin was worried about losing his son or daughter. Matt knew that Martin was doing through what Matt had seen other couples go through every day, and had never once thought that his own sister would one day be a statistic.  
  
He quietly excused himself and walked back into the room, where Ruthie was lying on the floor as Sarah dabbed a towel across her forehead. Ruthie was crying, and crying so hard that she had exhausted herself of sweat.  
  
“Ruthie, listen, we need to get you to the hospital so we’re going to have to find you a way to get you in there.”  
  
Ruthie spoke in between sobs.  
  
“Matt, you said… you said the hospital was… was flooded in.”  
  
“Yeah, I know, and it is. There’s just no good way to deliver here, it’s too dangerous and you may lose both your children if you haven’t lost one already.”  
  
At the reminder of possibly having only one child to bring into the world instead of two, Ruthie let out a cry. She looked at Matt and then at Martin. She watched him slink down against the wall, putting his head in his hands.  
  
When Martin raised his head, it was tear-stained with new tears now rolling down freely. He stared out the window, where the rain was pouring hard, and thought _that’s exactly how I feel right now_. He looked at Ruthie, stood and walked over to her, giving her a hug and crying right along with her. Martin held her tight and when he pulled away, he placed both his hands on her stomach and began to cry even harder. He lowered his head and let out huge sobs as he placed his head on Ruthie’s stomach. His sobs were loud enough to be heard downstairs, just as Simon entered the house.  
  
After Simon had been filled in, he helped the men load Ruthie into his SUV and they quickly drove off. Meanwhile, Annie, Sarah, Mary, and Lucy cleaned up the makeshift bed where Ruthie was supposed to deliver the babies.  
  
“Mom,” Lucy said, wiping her eyes. “This was supposed to be a joyous event. Now, Ruthie may not even have two children. What if she doesn’t have any?”  
  
“Lucy, Ruthie will be okay, regardless of how many children God gives her. All we can do now is pray.”


	11. Chapter 11

Ruthie lay in the back of Simon’s car as Simon drove slowly to the hospital. California hadn’t seen a storm like this come through in hundreds of years, and everything seemed flooded and saturated. Simon was having a difficult time finding roads that weren’t flooded but, luckily for him, Matt knew all the back roads that could be taken. However, in an unlucky turn of events, those roads had all been flooded so far. Matt was running out of ways to get to the hospital and prayed that there would be one way to get her there.  
  
Martin held her hand and every so often, he would kiss her forehead and cry with her as she whimpered. They both prayed that she still had two children.  
  
“Martin, I really want twins. I thought that two would be too much, but now I realize that it’s not enough. I want more with you, but if we don’t have both, then I’ll…”  
  
“Ruthie,” Martin said, his lip quivering and tears rolling down his face. He was having trouble talking because of the sobs that continuously emerged from his body.  
  
“Ruthie, I love you so much. I know that we’re going to be just fine, even if I don’t get my boy or you don’t get your girl.” Ruthie began to tear up and cried even harder, if that was possible. “Ruthie Camden, you are the bravest, most beautiful, just… everything to me. You’re perfect. I thank God every day that you are with me. I love you _so_ much, and I’m going to be here through all of this. It’s crazy how much I love you. Everybody says that you don’t know what love is at this age, but God knows I do. That night, to me, wasn’t a mistake. It wasn’t a one-time thing, I want it to just be the first of many special nights that we’ll share together, and-“  
  
“Yes! Ruthie, we’ve got a clear road. How are you doing?” Simon asked.  
  
Ruthie’s spirits brightened. Maybe finding a dry road was just the start of good things, at least that’s what she hoped.  
  
“I’m fine, thanks. How much further?”  
  
“We’re here. All right, it’s still pouring, so should we wait?”  
  
“No, Simon, you idiot!” Matt cried and slapped Simon across the head, but Simon’s reflexes were quick enough and the two brothers soon got into a head-on brawl. Once Martin pulled them apart, Matt explained the situation.  
  
“I need to get her in there _soon_. If she hasn’t lost one of the babies already, then she’s lost a lot of fluid, which will cause her to lose one, if not both, of these babies if we don’t deliver soon.”  
  
Ruthie silently prayed as she was lifted and taken into the hospital. Matt asked for an empty room in the maternity ward and when he was asked what it was for, he answered “Cesarean Section.”  
  
“What? No, Matt! I want to give birth _naturally_. I don’t want the miracle of surgery, I want the miracle of birth!”  
  
“Ruthie, you can’t do that. If I delivered these babies naturally, you may not make it.”  
  
“What? Matt, you’re not serious,” Martin yelled, now frightened for three lives instead of just two.  
  
“Ruthie, your body is built so thin that having two babies naturally without the normal amount of fluid may kill you. That fluid is what helps get the babies out. It’s what makes them, well, slimy when they come out. You’ve lost quite a bit of that and if you’ve lost too much, it can be deadly.”  
  
“What would exactly happen, Matt?”  
  
“Well, the baby would be stuck. We wouldn’t be able to pull the baby because that could kill it, and your pushing wouldn’t help either, because the baby would be lodged. So, there’s a good chance that you can die of blood loss. If the baby becomes stuck, then the blood would still flow out and you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, and we wouldn’t either.”  
  
Ruthie looked up at Martin and saw everything that she’d ever need, she could see the love flaring in his eyes; the love he had for her. She knew that he would always love her and that he’d be a great father. Looking back at Matt, she saw the fear in his eyes, but also the support. She knew in her heart that she’d always be loved and that she had the support of her family with whatever decision she made. Ruthie took a deep breath, placing her hands on her belly, and answered.  
  
“I want to deliver naturally.”  
  
Ruthie changed into a gown and was laying on the bed while Matt prepped her for delivery. The eldest Camden offspring sat down beside her and decided to take one last look at the babies before delivering them.  
  
“All right, Ruthie. I’m just going to look and see if I can hear both heartbeats and then I’ll take an ultrasound to get a clear picture. I’m also going to make sure neither are breach, or feet-first.”  
  
“Okay, Matt.” Ruthie nodded, taking a deep breath as her brother began the external examination. After ten agonizing minutes of waiting, Matt looked at her with a somber face. ng minutes, he looked at his sister with a somber face.  
  
“Ruthie, I can only hear one heartbeat.” Matt informed her, his voice quiet.  
  
Ruthie laid her head back on the pillow and began to cry as Matt looked at the ultrasound.  
  
“Matt, can you tell me which one is still alive.” She asked as Martin walked over, kissing her forehead. Both teenagers were already crying as they wrapped their arms around one another in an embrace.  
  
“It looks like you’ve lost Abby. I’m sorry.”  
  
Ruthie pulled away, looking at Martin.  
  
“Well,’ she began, sniffling. “You’ve got your boy.”  
  
Martin shook his head and looked at her, brushing her hair out of her face.  
  
“Ruthie, it’s going to be okay. All right?”  
  
“Okay, I’m going to break your water to induce labor. It shouldn’t take too long.”  
  
“I- I’m ready. Wait, which one is coming out first?”  
  
Matt looked at the screen where the ultrasound was still displayed.  
  
“It looks like Keith is coming out first.”  
  
Ruthie took a deep breath and felt her water break a moment later. All of a sudden, she felt an enormous amount of pressure and squeezed Martin’s hand with all the strength she had.  
  
“Ouch!” Ruthie cried. “Oh, god, these babies are a hell of a lot more painful than I thought they’d be! Ouch! Martin!”  
  
“Damn it!” Matt yelled, startling his father and everyone in the room. Ruthie looked up at him with a tear-stained face.  
  
“Ruthie,” Matt began. “Your contractions are coming too close together. I need to slow them down or you’ll lose the other baby as well.”  
  
“How far am I right now?” Ruthie asked.  
  
Matt examined her quickly before replying.  
  
“You’ve been in induced labor for three minutes and you’re already six centimeters dilated. When I said that labor wouldn’t take long, I really didn’t expect it to be like this.”  
  
Matt ran into the hallway and returned a minute later with a hospital assistant, who turned out to be Ruthie’s very pregnant sister-in-law.  
  
“Sarah?!” Ruthie cried, beginning to push as another contraction hit.  
  
“I left right after you did.” Sarah answered Ruthie’s unasked question as she put on surgical gloves.  
  
“Okay, Ruthie. You need to listen to me.” Matt paused, waiting for his sister’s undivided attention. “You’re already at ten centimeters. I can still hear a faint heartbeat from the baby boy, but you need to start pushing fast. Otherwise, you are going to lose him, you hear me?”  
  
Ruthie looked at Martin, who squeezed her hand tightly.  
  
“I’m ready.” Ruthie nodded, taking a big gulp.  
  
“All right, one big push and I want you to give all you’ve got.” Matt paused before speaking again. “Now!”  
  
Ruthie dug her chin into her chest, pushing and felt excruciating pain rip through her..  
  
“Marin! Martin, it hurts!”  
  
“I’m right here!” Martin hands were turning purple, but he didn’t try to break free of her grasp.  
  
A cry began to fill the hospital room a moment later and Ruthie immediately looked at Matt. She saw that he was holding a baby boy; Keith Lionel Brewer, who was very much alive. The young woman began to cry tears of joy before asking Matt if she could hold her son. She looked around at her family, all the men in her life, plus Sarah, were standing in the room. She wished her mother and sisters were here, but she knew they were home waiting for news.  
  
Matt handed his nephew to Ruthie as Martin looked down at her and their child.  
  
_That’s my son. I’m a dad!_ Martin thought with a big smile on his face.  
  
“Ruthie, we need to get Abby out. Let Sarah hold Keith, okay?”  
  
Ruthie reluctantly gave her son to Sarah, and prepared for more pain.  
  
A few minutes later, Abby was out of the womb. Ruthie watched as they rushed the newborn infant over to a small bed and looked away as the doctors began to wrap her up. Ruthie quickly looked up as she heard Sarah yell.  
  
“Matt, we’ve got a heartbeat on Abby!” She looked at her husband with wide eyes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author's Note:** For those of you who followed this story while it was being uploaded on that message board in 2005 and 2006 will probably by now have noticed several changes being made to the story. I hit a roadblock working on the 26th installment of the story, which would have been part of this chapter. I know now that I cannot continue with the mature narrative while making realistic changes without turning this story into my own. If I did, then it'd be blatant plagiarism.
> 
> So with that, I have come to the decision that I am no longer going to upload this story. I may upload the rest of the story on here and orphan it at some point.

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's probably crazy to post something that was published online over a decade ago; but I absolutely loved this story and I believe the 7th Heaven section here on AO3 is not populated enough.


End file.
